Did You Develop A Skin Rash, Tissue Death, Gangrene Or An Amputation After Taking The Blood Thinner Coumadin Or Warfarin?

Warfarin-induced skin necrosis (WISN), Coumadin-induced skin necrosis (CISN),
Anticoagulant-induced skin necrosis or warfarin dermal gangrene is a condition
in where there is skin and tissue death or necrosis due to a protein C
deficiency after being started on Coumadin or warfarin, which are anti-vitamin
K anticoagulants.

Warfarin necrosis is a rare but severe complication of treatment with warfarin
or related anticoagulants. The skin necrosis occurs in approximately 1
of 10,000 patients treated with warfarin or Coumadin. As anticoagulation
is a component of therapy for many major chronic illnesses such as blood
clots, deep vein thrombosis (DVT's), strokes and atrial fibrillation,
prompt diagnosis and treatment is crucial to minimize tissue death, amputations or death.

The skin reaction or drug eruption usually occurs in between the third
and tenth day after starting the blood thinning medication. It starts
with pain and redness of the affected area and then progress to petechial
or little purple bruises that then become hard. If continued on the medication,
the lesions can progress into large fluid filled blisters or bullae that
lead to gangrene, necrosis or tissue death, and eschar or a severely burned
skin appearance. The lesions usually start in areas where there is subcutaneous
fat such as the breasts, thighs, buttocks or penis. In some severe cases,
the fascia, connective tissue or muscle may also be involved.

Since Coumadin works on inhibition of Factor VII to prevent clotting, the
prothrombin time (PT) or international normalized ratio (INR) may be therapeutic
even though the patient is developing clots. When a clot forms in a blood
vessel, it leads to an interruption of blood flow, oxygen and nutrients
to the skin and tissues, causing cell death, skin necrosis and gangrene.
If the skin death is extensive, surgical debridement or
amputation may be necessary.

If a patient is started on warfarin or Coumadin and develop skin lesions
the first element of treatment is to stop the medication. Because the
patient may still require anticoagulation or blood thinning, Heparin or
low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) may be started. Vitamin K may be given
to reverse the effects of the Coumadin. Since there may also be low levels
of Protein C, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) or pure activated protein C may
also be administered.

If you or a loved one was started on the medication warfarin or Coumadin
and developed tissue death, skin necrosis, gangrene or amputation you
may be eligible for compensation. For over 50 years, the Beasley medication
error medical malpractice teams have had over $2 billion awarded on behalf
of our injured clients. Our full time legal, medical, and nursing teams
often find hospital errors and medication mistakes that other law firms
miss in their review. If you or a loved one has suffered due to Coumadin,
warfarin or other blood thinner medication, please feel
free to contact one of our
Philadelphia medical negligence lawyers, doctors, or nurses at 1.888.823.5291 for a strictly confidential and
free consultation. When you call us, you will only speak to someone on
our experienced medical and legal team.

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The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Please
note: All cases are different and past results do not predict future case outcomes.

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